Wabash and the Conservative Mind: An Ongoing Conversation
Over my nearly two years here, I do not know if I have heard any word more loosely used than “conversation.” Be it Chapel Talks, tedious Student Senate sessions, or any number of forums for belabored pleas for “conversation,” the word has been used so frequently that its uttering evokes a rolling of eyes or sarcastic laughter. However, this is Wabash, and since it is Wabash there certainly is conversation. True conversation – in the form of no-holds-barred debates in the Scarlet Inn or friendly mentoring in a professor’s office – is the lifeblood of our college. Unsurprisingly, as at most campuses across the United States, politics has often been at the forefront on the exchange of ideas at Wabash. Political Science has long been one of the more popular majors at the College, and it is a subject that spans many disciplines, drawing a diverse spectrum of conversants. As long as there has been political conversation, there has been conservative conversation. Since conservatism has often been a countercultural force in the 20th century, “standing athwart history” (to quote William F. Buckley, Jr.), it is only natural that the conservative conversation has had interesting moments here at Wabash, especially in the words of speakers brought to our campus as well as in student publications which will publish conservative opinions. Wabash College possesses a fine heritage of conservative conversation, and it is certainly worthy of celebration and preservation.
Even though Wabash College is a seemingly inconspicuous college in the cornfields of Indiana (excepting our all-male nature, of course), it has a surprising corner in the history of American conservatism and libertarianism. It was here that one of the great economists of the Right took steps that had a great impact on the history of economic and philosophical conservatism. Many have heard the name of Milton Friedman. Having recently passed away (2006), he possessed a formidable stature in the field of economics and was a great advocate for the free market. Economists can sing his praises far better than I can, but having read his famous manifest Free to Choose, I can testify as to the strength of his words for the cause of freedom in America. One of his first major works, published in 1962, was entitled Capitalism and Freedom. It crystallized his political philosophy, in which the free market could be applied to any number of political problems (i.e. discrimination). Criticizing the support for increasing federal expenditures by both the Republicans and the Democrats, this book was a central factor in the small government conservatism that became an intellectual power in the 1960s. Translated into 18 languages, it has sold well over 500,000 copies since its publication date. Clearly this is an important text – and it has its roots right here at Wabash. In the prologue to Capitalism and Freedom, Milton Friedman writes: “This book is a long-delayed product of a series of lectures that I gave in June, 1956, at a conference at Wabash College directed by John Van Sickle and Benjamin Rogge and sponsored by the Volker Foundation.” One of the foundational texts of free market economic conservatism began right here in Crawfordsville on our campus. Furthermore, Milton Friedman had strong Wabash connections through his good friend, Dean Benjamin Rogge, and together they often had conversations about Wabash and economics. Friedman maintained close ties to Wabash, returning here several times before his death, and reserved for himself a hallowed place in Wabash history.
Dean Rogge had a strong influence on another stalwart of the conservative movement – Thomas Sowell. Sowell is best known as an iconoclastic African-American conservative who is willing to attack liberal shibboleths such as affirmative action, welfare, and other similarly controversial issues. His trademark is that at the very core of his philosophy is a firm belief in the free market, even going so far as to say that the free market leads to true equality from which all people – especially African-Americans – can benefit. This idea originated with Dean Rogge, who at the time was serving in his capacity as a professor of economics at the College. In a March 25, 2006, article for the Wall Street Journal, Jason L. Riley, a member of the Journal’s editorial board, wrote that “[the] idea to apply economic concepts to racial issues came, says Mr. Sowell, from the late Benjamin Rogge, who taught economics at Wabash College in Indiana. ‘I was at Cornell, and Ben Rogge came on campus to give a talk called “The Welfare State Against the Negro.” I happened to be out of town, so when I got back I wrote him a letter that said I heard you gave this talk and that you’re going to write a book on the same theme. I said it’s really amazing that no one’s thought of this before because there’s so much material out there. At this point [in the late ‘60s] I had no thought that I would ever touch it myself.’ The two became friends over the years and ‘it occurred to Ben that he was never going to write that book. And so Ben Rogge took his manuscript and simply handed it to me and said do with it whatever you can. I was flabbergasted. I don’t think I ever used anything directly from his manuscript. But the fundamental idea [that] you could apply economics to racial issues–that was the inspiration.’” Dean Rogge was the root of Thomas Sowell’s belief in the social, equalizing power of the free market. A member of the Mont Pelerin Society, which consisted of the elite advocates for the free market, he certainly made his mark on American conservatism.
Free market economics is not the only aspect of the conservative conversation at Wabash College. Naturally, especially in the 1960s, communism was an important facet of the debate here on campus between conservatives and liberals. While reading over issues of The Bachelor spanning many years during the Sixties, I came across innumerable references to communism and what should be done about it. It was within this context that Senator Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) came to speak at Wabash. When Goldwater arrived in Crawfordsville in 1961, he was already a prominent proponent of conservatism and a fervent foe of communism. His manifesto, The Conscience of a Conservative, had already been published and been established as the veritable Bible of the emerging conservative movement. Surprisingly, there are few existing details that can tell us about Sen. Goldwater’s visit at Wabash. The Bachelor reported that he was to speak on Monday, March 20, 1961, and that he was to speak with a political science class. Earlier, Democratic Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota had visited the College, and so presumably Sen. Goldwater was fulfilling the second half of a high-powered, balanced political lecture duel. Given the nature of previous conservative speakers who appeared on campus during the same time period and the subject matters of letters to the editor in The Bachelor, it would not be unreasonable to assume that the Arizonan probably spoke on communism. In one of the most important debates in American history, Wabash did not sit out. Indeed, it was right in the thick of the fight.
Religion is another aspect of Wabash life, and for many people it is at the center of it. The Newman Center and Wabash Christian Men are some of the most active extracurriculars on campus. Just how religion should influence the public sphere and interact with the secular has long been a subject of conversation. In the early 2000s, the late Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, famous as the editor of the periodical First Things, came to Wabash to specifically address that question. Indeed, much of Fr. Neuhaus’ career was dedicated to advocating for a re-infusion of religious values into American society (one of his more popular books was entitled The Naked Public Square: Democracy and Religion in America). When Fr. Neuhaus spoke in Salter Hall, he addressed a packed crowd of students, faculty, and locals. Many had come to hear the famous Fr. Neuhaus indict a corrupt culture that sought to divorce God and society. He explained how, instead, a healthy society must recognize that religious values should influence the public sphere for its benefit. As his prime example Fr. Neuhaus discussed abortion, providing what Prof. David Kubiak remembers as a “long and very effective indictment.” The First Things editor certainly provided a worthy addition to the Wabash conversation on religion and politics.
The conversation at Wabash is not limited to famous outside speakers who arrive on our campus to spread their gospel, or to college professors who influence their students or others in the conservative philosophy. Students themselves are an integral part of the Wabash conservative conversation. Whether writing a letter to the editor at The Bachelor, writing articles for The Phoenix, or simply talking with one’s friends at Sparks, everyone who desires it is included in the exchange. As I was reading the old Bachelors that are available in the Archives, I was surprised by the number and quality of letters to the editor. There were many that at great length advocated for conservative ideals and attacked liberals and their arguments. However, what perhaps surprised me the most was the number of conservative editorials that were published by The Bachelor. One in particular grabbed my attention. The “Editor’s Notes” from the October 12, 1960, issue of The Bachelor read: “The conservative…does not want regression. He wants change which leads to a state of affairs better than that which exists. He is not afraid to keep something he already has if it happens to be better than that for which the liberal would exchange it.” In that short editorial I found what was probably one of the most coherent, simple, and yet profound definitions of conservatism that I have ever found. Goldwater, Fr. Neuhaus, Friedman, William F. Buckley, Dean Rogge, and the plethora of other conservative giants that have graced our campus can preach conservatism for hours on end and advocate to their hearts’ content. However, it is the student who is ultimately at the heart of the Wabash conversation. It is he who is the beneficiary of the conservative mind and who ultimately becomes apart of it.
The more I think about it, conversation is at the heart of conservatism. Burke famously claimed that society is “a partnership not only between those who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born.” This statement is the foundation of philosophical conservatism and illuminates conservatism’s very essence. Conservatives are not so presumptuous as to claim that we, the modern living, are greater than our ancestors who brought us to this stage of advancement, and so therefore we can willy-nilly shove aside everything in the sacred name of progress. We can learn from our past, using our ancestors as guides where it is best and necessary. Wabash has a tremendous heritage in the conservative conversation. Though passed on, Barry Goldwater, Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, and Milton Friedman all have lessons that are relevant to our walks as Americans and Wabash men. Wabash has always had a rambunctious conservative past. Great speakers have stirred minds, just as they continue to do now and will continue to do so in the future. Conservative ideals will continue to be published in some form or another in The Bachelor and in perpetuity in The Phoenix. Wabash men have historically thought critically about onservatism and assuredly will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
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